A Great Sound

The alarm hadn’t gone off yet but she was wide awake. The room although not hers, was quite familiar; after all it had been “hers” for 8 weeks last summer. She remembered how many mornings she had dread waking up for school but this morning was different, she was excited to see them all; her friends and “kids”.

When she arrived at the school, she could hear all of the kids chatting and laughing while they congregated for their Monday morning “civic lesson”. It was a great sound. A sound she didn’t realize how much she missed.

She walked through the gate and the smiles, long hugs and, best of all, the “Mees Jenneefers” were amazing! Tears filled her eyes, but she held them back; she didn’t want to be look too sentimental. She sat in the back row as the 4th grade class made their presentation on respect. They were 3rd graders when she saw them last.

In the middle of their presentation, they paused to call her to the front and welcomed her with beautifully designed signs and loud cheers. Her heart melted and the tears flowed. She didn’t care about looking too sentimental anymore.

So many times she had wondered if she was remembered. If her presence there had touched them enough to make a small difference. Those doubts had been erased as soon as she walked through the gate and received her first hug. She prayed that they could somehow know what a difference they had made in her life. Then again, how could they? She hadn’t known herself until that very moment.